Precarious work is often caused by atypical employment contracts and can result in uncertain, unpredictable circumstances for workers such as low wages, no social benefits, and overall job insecurity. FLA’s Code of Conduct, however, requires companies to address and respect the employment relationship throughout their supply chains to ensure that workers are treated fairly.

On June 17, FLA President Auret van Heerden participated in a panel as part of the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum hosted by the UN Global Compact. The panel, Good Business Models for a Sustainable Future, was hosted by Simone Cipriani (ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative), and aimed to demonstrate that doing good and making profit is possible through inclusive business models.

Kavitha, a 17-year-old girl who had been working in an Indian textile mill for nearly three years, died from injuries sustained at work. She was just 14 when she agreed to work at the mill, yet her family never received the money their daughter worked so hard to earn. Many women like Kavitha are caught up in a dangerous but prevalent system called the Sumangali Scheme, which targets young women and their families by promising a lump sum payment of about US $500-1,000 for three years of work. The money is intended for use by the family to pay the girl's dowry and enable her to get married.

The RESPECT Project is an initiative of the European Commission, supported by FLA, which encourages buyers and suppliers to engage in more responsible purchasing practices. In support of this project, FLA conducted an online survey among 25 buyers and 30 suppliers from various sectors throughout Asia, Central America, the Middle East and Bulgaria. Several FLA affiliates – including Zephyr Graf-X, adidas Group, Patagonia, Mountain Equipment Co-op, New Wave, The s. Oliver Group, and prAna – participated in the survey.

FLA joins representatives from other nonprofit organizations, trade unions, the apparel industry and others in calling for an end to forced child labor in Uzbekistan. Read more from the Cotton Campaign.

According to a new survey of 1,019 adult Americans commissioned by the National Consumers League and conducted by ORC International from March 22-25, consumers feel strongly that they do not want their products to be manufactured in unfair, overly harsh or dangerous working conditions, and they’re willing to make some sacrifices for that.

The Fair Labor Association has called for a full investigation into the tragic death of Bangladeshi labor rights activist Aminul Islam. We commend Aminul’s courage and are deeply saddened by his death.

Worker rights’ advocates play a critical role in shining the light on inhumane working conditions in factories around the world. Aminul at the Bangladeshi Center for Worker Solidarity (BCWS), along with other labor rights advocates, have suffered intimidation, harassment and abuse for their work supporting garment workers. This is unacceptable and must end.